I’ve enjoyed changing the appearance and content of my blog’s sidebar during this activity. After many face lifts it’s beginning to settle into a more professional space, thanks to the Teacher Challenge.

Believe me, I’m no computer expert and everything I have picked up has been self taught or the result of some basic professional development along the way. Back in the 90′s it was just expected that teachers would go digital with their report writing ordeal. It was a frustrating and steep learning curve for all of us.

I look back on those times and remember, not only feeling the pressure, but the excitement of this new way of processing and storing information. Back then I thought of CODE as being the language of computer gurus only.

Move the clock forward many years and I still have enormous respect for IT experts and their “language”. Last year I picked up some basic tips about HTML CODE from my kids and professional development coursework.

In this post I take a look at how to use HTML code to add bling to your blog, the essential widgets, adding a Creative Commons License and QR codes.

BLING

HTML code has become the source of my bling. I find it, move it, change it and use it to open up holes in my blog sidebar (Widgets) to let information flow in and out. I also use it to add other bits of interest, like images and video’s, to posts. A few symbols and numbers can transform a blog into a great looking, interactive space that connects with the wider web.

Here’s how I put the sparkling HTML bling into my blog:

go to Glitterfy and customse your word

select Gliterfy Text then copy the Website Code that appears

come back to the post you are editing, make sure you change the tab to HTML, paste in the code then publish

go and check out your bling

I’m predisposed to widget overload, so I took Sue Waters excellent advice “Getting more out of widgets.” and made sure that I’m using the recommended widgets.

They are:

a search widget

an RSS widget

subscribe by Email

a categories widget (which I have called Blog Topics)

and a tag cloud widget

OTHER WIDGETS

I’m all for sharing my work and am honored if someone wants to use or change it. Now I’d like some recognition and acknowledgement for what I’ve been up to. It’s not about ego or money, it’s about creating a professional identity as I contribute to the digital resources for educators on the internet. So, with all that said, I thought it time to put a Creative Commons License on my blog.

Here’s how I did it:

go to the Creative Commons Australia website

select License

choose how you want to license your work

click on Select a License

choose which button you would like on your webpage then copy the code

go back to your blog, place a Text Widget on your sidebar, past in the code, save

go and check out your new license

About the others:

The Flickr badge makes the most of a photo collection by displaying a different combination of images every time someone logs on.

The revolving earth is sitting in the universe of my header and provides a visual connection to visitors. The changing snow patterns around the globe are updated.

Another visual representation of visitors is the flags. If no comments are made at least the symbol of where my visitors come from remains.

QR CODESWe’re all familiar with the barcodes found on virtually everything in the supermarket. Their one dimensional pattern captures information, which, when scanned, identifies the product.

 

Two dimensional Quick Response (QR) codes arose out of a need to store more information such as URL’s, mobile phone numbers, text and images. This QR code holds information about me, such as my name, email and web address, made in this Address QR Generator.

I entered my details, produced the code, copied and pasted the image to my desktop then uploaded it to this post. When I scan it with the QR Scanner (a free iphone app) my details appear and can be stored in the phone’s address book.

Apparently, McDonalds in Japan are using QR codes on the burger boxes which, when scanned with an iphone, takes the consumer to a web page to check out nutritional information. I wonder if you can scan it before buying the burger?

Enough of fast food, I’m more interested in the educational applications of QR codes that can give instant access to a wide range of information. To be honest, I’m not sure yet, but there are many great reads on the subject. Here are a few to have a look at:

Hot QR codes in the classroom and library

QR Codes In Education

QR code success using iPad and iPod touch